


Don't Look Back

by MikeJaffa



Category: Bakuretsu Tenshi | Burst Angel
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28492683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MikeJaffa/pseuds/MikeJaffa
Summary: Five Years after the events of the series, a mysterious woman resurrects Kyohei’s memories of the long dead Jo and Sei.





	Don't Look Back

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: Burst Angel is owned by Gonzo. I am making no money off writing and publishing this fic. 
> 
> This was the first Burst Angel I ever wrote, posting it shortly after I stumbled on the show on Netflix in 2013. It's in chapters on fan fiction dot net because I didn't understand how their document software worked. So you, here, are getting the original version of the original fic. The rest is history.

“Onegai shi--” Kyohei Tachibana said to the Japanese woman coming over to him in the Aikido dojo and broke off, blinking. She had long straight hair, blonde highlights in it, not drawn up into a bun, but her eyes were the same color, she was the same height, looked to be as old as Sei would be now, and her chest …. 

Kyohei couldn’t help himself. “Sei? Is that you?”

“Excuse me?” she asked. Her voice sounded a lot like Sei’s, too.

Kyohei shook himself. It couldn‘t be Sei. No, just someone who resembled her. But not Sei. 

“I’m sorry,” Kyohei said. “You look like someone I used to know.”

“Does she practice Aikido?”

“She’s dead.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It was years ago, and we weren‘t very close, but thank you. I’m Kyohei Tachibana.”

“Yukiko Okimura.”

They bowed to each other, and Kyohei slipped into hanmi stance, extended his hand, and moved into the cycle of throwing and being thrown, but he only half paid attention to the rest of the class. The girl’s resemblance to Sei had opened old wounds.

Sei was dead. Jo was dead. Even without watching the viral video on his phone again, it was burned into his brain. They had died in the explosion that had taken the top off the RAPT building. Amy, Meg, he had no idea what had happened to them, and he had no idea how to find out. But they could find him if they wanted to, and they hadn’t, so either they were dead or had written him out of their lives. 

‘And I’ll just have to go on without them,’ he thought. ’It’s not like I liked that job.’ But the thought failed to quiet the grief that had welled up inside him. 

****

“Kyohei?”

Kyhoei turned from his hatchback as he loaded his Aikido gear into it and saw Yukiko jogging over to him from the entrance of Toronto’s Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. “Yes?”

“I wanted to apologize,” she said. “I had no idea I had upset you.”

“It’s not your fault,” he said. “You just bear an uncanny resemblance to…someone I used to work for. She…was a good boss.”

“You liked her?”

Kyohei chuckled. “Now that’s a complicated question. I tried to quit after my first day, but Sei -- that as her name, Sei -- wouldn’t let me. She called me from the street outside the culinary school I was at.” He smile faded. “I can still see her waving to me from her car. But after I was fired--”

“Fired!?”

Kyo nodded. “Yes, for weeks after that, I would look out that window and hope to see her. But she would never appear. When I left Japan, I half expected her and … her friends to meet me at the airport and see me off. But that didn‘t happen.”

“How would they have known when you were leaving?”

“They would have known. Trust me. But they never showed. I figured they were busy and they would look me up when they wanted to. It wasn’t until years later I learned that Sei had died….” He trailed off and shrugged.

“You were too good to her. She sounds horrible.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” He rocked up on his heels and thought it over. “I guess I liked her. They certainly liked my cooking.”

“You cooked for them?”

“I’m a chef. I work in the sushi place in the Eaton Centre food court.”

“Really? I think I know the place. I might see you there.”

“You might. Anyway, it was nice meeting you.” He started to turn away.

“I’m sorry to bother you again,” Yuki said, “but I was wondering if you could give me a lift? It’s not far, but I was supposed to be home by eight and the class ran a little long. I’m sorry to be a pain--”

“No, it’s ok…”

****

“So,” Kyo said after they had started down the road, “do you live in Toronto?”

“I’m visiting relatives,” Yuki said. “I live in New York. Keep going straight.”

Kyo nodded. “Ok, next question, what are you doing in New York?”

“I left Tokyo four years ago, after terrorists blew up the RAPT building. It’s got worse since, I hear. Turn left at this light.”

Kyo nodded. The light was red as he got in the left turn lane and waited. “What do you do in New York?”

“I’m a hair stylist.”

They made more small talk as she gave him the remaining directions to her house. Kyo waited just long enough to see an elderly Japanese man in the front door, the assumption being there wouldn‘t be anyone there if it was a cover for Sei. But there was someone. Of course.

“Get a grip,” he admonished himself as he got back on the road. “They’re dead. They’re not coming back. That only happens in the movies. They’re gone. You didn’t like that job anyway. Forget about it and concentrate on the here and now.”

****

_Kyo gets off his scooter and climbs the steps of the trailer/hangar that houses the girls and their mech. He knocks on the door. ‘It’s me!’ he shouts._

_The door slides open--_

\-- and Kyohei woke up. He looked around, recognized his apartment. Then he punched his mattress and cursed as tears welled up in his eyes.

****

Kyohei sleep-walked through most of the next few days. But then Yuki appeared at the sushi bar at lunch. It was strange -- he’d turned away for a moment, and then she was sitting at a stool that had been empty. She’d appeared out of nowhere. Just the way he‘d expect ---

No. He just hadn’t paid attention. Sei was dead, he kept telling himself. But he was glad to see Yuki. 

“What’ll you have?” he asked.

“Mmm…. It all looks so good. I’ll have the chef’s choice. Surprise me.”

She had him keep the change and almost embarrassed him praising the food he made for her. Kyohei felt as if something woke up inside him. 

His boss came over to him after she left. “Is that your girlfriend?”

“She’s just someone from out of town…” he started defensively, but Mr. Tanaka smiled.

“So, Kyohei Tachibana is human after all. That’s good. Just remember the rules.”

“Of course.”

The other workers teased him the rest of his shift, but Kyohei didn’t let it bother him. Serving Yuki lunch had improved his mood and nothing phased him for the rest of the day.

He had the dream about the trailer that night, and he still woke up crying. But he decided it was because of Yuki’s resemblance to Sei, and it would stop once she returned to New York.

She was at Aikido the next night, and he practiced with her twice during the class. Afterwards, she asked for another lift. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t ask--”

“No, it’s no problem.”

When they go to her place, Yuki said, “Would you like to come in and have a beer?”

“Uh--”

“Please. You’ve been very nice to me. I feel I owe you something.”

“All right.”

Kyo exchanged pleasantries with the aunt and uncle Yuki was staying with, then they retreated to the kitchen where she got a couple of beers out of the fridge. 

“I hate to bring this up,” Yuki said, “but I was wondering if you could tell me more about that woman you used to work for. I was just thinking talking about it might help. If you don’t mind.”

“You’ll think I’m crazy.”

“No.”

Kyo nodded. “All right. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. There were four girls, between 11 and 19 years old. They lived in a trailer.”

“A trailer? You mean, ‘trailer park trash’?”

“No. The trailer was also the hangar for a mech. Sei was the oldest and their leader. I think she had ties to the Chinese mafia. Or something. Then there was Jo. She piloted the mech. Basically a psychotic killing machine who watched gory movies when she wasn’t out blowing up half the city. Meg was her best friend. She was from America, New York as a matter of fact. I think she and Jo had something going, and Jo was always rescuing her. Sometimes her and me. Amy was the youngest. She was a computer wiz who could hack anything. The only reason I never asked her to ‘help’ me with my grades is I was afraid what I would owe her in return.”

Yuki was aghast. “How did you get mixed up with those people?”

“They e-mailed a flier to the teacher I had at the culinary school I was going to,” Kyo said. “It paid well, and I needed the money. I was saving up to go to France and study to be a pastry chef. Sei said she wanted me to make healthy meals and snacks for them because left to their own devices, the other girls would live on junk food. So that’s what I did. But they…well, Amy and Meg gave me a hard time. Jo was…enigmatic. It was about a month before she bothered to learn my name, and that was only after threatening to kill me if I didn’t help her rescue Meg, which posed a problem because I was going to die because of a nanotech thing that had been injected in my body that the hostage takers wanted -- the nanotech, not my body. Jo’s idea of being nice was to offer me a beer while watching a monster movie. And she put hot sauce on *everything.* She trashed my scooter a couple of times -- no wait, she trashed two scooters, but Sei replaced both of them without batting an eyelash, and in fact the last one was real sweet -- I think she may have overheard me talking about the options I wanted and -- ”

Yuki had progressed from “aghast” to “horrified.” “What were they, mercenaries? Hit men?”

“I’m still not sure.”

“You should have quit and not gone back. And reported them to the police. No amount money was worth that.”

“I know, but I really wanted to go to France.” He smiled slightly. “But…as much as they stressed me out, when I was with them was the only time I felt alive. Everything else seemed so…dull. And it wasn’t all bad. Sei had her moments….”

**_….TOKYO, JAPAN -- FIVE YEARS EARLIER…._ **

Kyo’s phone rang just as he was finishing dinner.

It was Sei. “I’m sorry to call you back on such short notice,” she said, “but we’re having a busy night and I just have to have one of your snacks. Can you come over? If it‘s not too much trouble.”

“I left some in the fridge before I left.”

“Meg ate them all already.”

“I had a feeling you were going to say that.”

“I don’t know how that girl does it. If I ate like that, I’d blow up like a balloon. It must all go to her boobs. But anyway, could you come over, please? I hate to impose. I’ll completely understand if you say ‘no,’ but there will be some extra money for you if you come.”

‘Like I would say “no,” to extra money,’ he thought. ‘Kyohei Tachibana, they have made you into a whore.’ He said: “Ok. What do you want?”

“I’ll have the chef’s choice. Surprise me.”

Kyo made a quick stop at an all-night grocery store before heading for the trailer. He found Sei there alone.

“Where are the others?” Kyo asked.

Sei didn’t look up from her computer. “Everyone’s out in the field.”

“Oh. What is it this time?” He wondered at being so casual with her, but later thought it was because he was getting used to the chaos that usually surrounded Sei and the girls.

“I’m not really sure,” Sei answered. “It’s taking a little longer than normal to interpolate Meg’s hysterics and Jo’s taciturn statements. I sent Amy and Leo to back them up -- there‘s a cyberspace angle I *think* -- so I got left here alone, and hungry.” She looked at the bags Kyo had brought in. “That looks like enough for all of us.”

“Actually, this bag is extra hot sauce, just in case.”

Sei smiled. “A smart decision. The kitchen is all yours.”

Kyo ignored the voices he heard as he worked. He lost track of time but noticed when Sei wandered in. 

She smiled. “Something smells good.” 

“It’ll be ready in a couple of minutes.” 

Sei nodded. “This isn’t hurting your studies, is it? I’m concerned about that. This isn’t exactly a normal job, and I wouldn’t want that to hurt your grades. I really am determined to see to it that you get to France. Say the word and I’ll lighten your workload.”

“No, it’s all right, thanks.” He chuckled. “Actually, it’s kind of funny. I had an assignment to write a paper on anything I wanted to write on, so I wrote on the top five pastries that go well with hot sauce.”

Sei chuckled. “Go well with hot sauce, not the other way around.”

Kyo laughed. “Yeah. And I stopped at five because I was afraid one more taste test would burn my tongue off.”

Sei had to fight not to double over. “Oh no … I’m sorry, but I can see you trying all that hot sauce…”

“Y-y-yeah,” Kyohei managed, “I was b-b-burning with p-p-assion for my w-w-w-work-k-k-k.”

Sei was holding her stomach. “Sto-ho-ho-ho-hop….”

They laughed.

Sei finally managed, “How did that go over in class?”

“My teacher made me stand up and explain that. And I told them -- without giving anything away--” he added quickly, “that one of the people I work for piles hot sauce onto *everything.* She’d probably put hot sauce on ice cream!”

“She does, and there‘s no telling her not to.”

“Really? Wow, what a shock.” After they snorted out a few more laughs, Kyo went on: “So I explained that for Jo, hot sauce is the main dish and everything else goes with it. I don’t think the teacher bought it, but I got an ‘A’ for originality and she gave the class a little lecture about how a good chef must anticipate the needs of his clients, however eccentric they are. And I’m thinking, ‘Jo’s “a little eccentric,” yeah, kinda.’”

“Definitely an ‘acquired taste.’”

“Yes, that’s it exactly, an acquired taste. Anyway, I still think the teacher thought I was making it up and maybe I could bring Jo to class and have her explain that, but I was afraid she might blow up the school.”

“I can see that! You’d been in what’s left of the room, you and the teacher would be freaking out, and Jo would say with a straight face, totally deadpan, ‘Is he going to get a bad grade?’”

“Yeah, and then I’d go over to the teacher and say, ‘No, this is nothing, Sei has this, trust me.’”

“Oh god …. She’d have to be wondering, ‘who the hell is Kyo working for?’”

“She says that every other morning, ‘Who ARE those people?’ ‘You don’t want to know.’ And my buddy is like, ‘Are there any hot chicks?’ And I keep telling him, ‘You do NOT want chicks like them in your life, trust me.’”

“Oh, Kyo...” Sei managed through her laughter. “Are we really that bad?”

He kept laughing. “You don’t want to know.”

“Good answer,” she squeaked.

They were still laughing when a nearby console beeped. 

Sei tabbed it. “Go,” she said, still laughing.

Meg’s voice said, “Sei, we--what’s so funny?”

“Nuh-nothing,” Sei managed. “I’m just having a laugh with Kyohei. He was kind enough to come in and make some snacks for me.”

Jo’s monotone came over the line: “Did he remember to buy more hot sauce?”

Kyo and Sei couldn’t help it -- they laughed harder.

“What the hell is wrong with you guys?” Meg ranted. “We’re risking our butts out here and you two are laughing it up…”

****

By the time the snacks were ready, Kyohei was feeling tired. He yawned as her served Sei in the cockpit.

“Do you want to go home?” she asked. “It’s all right.”

“No, as long as I‘m here I‘ll clean up and make some microwave ready breakfasts for tomorrow.” 

“You look pretty tired.”

“I figured I‘d stretch out on the couch for a couple of minutes before I got started.”

“No, you can rest in my room. It’s quieter and my mattress is better than that couch -- trust me on that one.”

“You don’t have to do that…”

“I’m going to be pretty busy, so I probably won’t be turning in for a while, so you can have it. And that last thing you need is to be working with a crick in your neck.”

“Yeah, it’s one thing to be shot at and blown up, but a sore neck is a whole new level of pain.”

She chuckled. “Will you just say, ‘Thank you, Sei,’ and get back there, please? _Mi casa es su casa.”_

“Thank you, Sei.” He turned to leave the cockpit and stopped. “Where..?” he prompted.

“Through the door to the living quarters and the second door on the left. If you touch Meg‘s things you‘re on your own.”

“Thanks for the warning.”

“No problem.”

Kyo found the small room and was surprised at the girlish appointments: Stuffed animals and pictures of Sei and an older man, her father or grandfather he guessed. He lay on the bunk bed and noticed pictures taped to the underside of the cabinets above him: All of him with the girls, with him usually in the foreground. 

****

Kyo woke to the sensation of movement on the bed. Sei was standing over him, pulling a blanket over him. “I’m sorry I woke you,” she said.

“It’s all right. How long was I asleep?”

Sei sat on the edge of the bed. “Not--” She yawned. “Not long.”

“Do you want to lie down?”

Sei arched her eyebrows. “Why, Kyo! You are a brave one.”

“What I mean is--” he stammered.

“No, I know what you meant. No, I’m good. Can I get you anything? We have beer, wine, sod--what am I saying? You shop for us. You know better than anybody.”

Kyo started to get up. “I should--”

“No. You stay right where you are. You’ve done enough for one day. I’m going to take care of you for a change. After all I make you put up with, I think I owe you something. Seriously, what’ll you have?” 

“Um, a little red wine would be nice, please.”

“Red wine? That’s your first choice? At your age? Never saw that coming. Not only an expert cook but a man of taste and refinement. I like you more and more all the time.” She got up and stretched; Kyo found it difficult to ignore how her curves strained against her clothing. “All right. Red wine it is, but at a price: You’ll be my plus one whenever I go to a wine and cheese party.”

“Um, in that case, maybe--”

“No, no, it’s decided.” She backed up towards the door; Kyo squirmed as she looked at him hungrily. “Oooh, I can’t wait to see what Henri can do with you. You’ll look good enough to eat.” She bit the air in front of her, then turned and went out the door.

Kyo lay back on the bed and put his hand over his face. “Memo to self: Next time a beautiful woman in a sports car calls you from across the street, run out the back door.”

“What was that?” Sei’s head appeared in the doorway, a smile on her face. “You think I’m beautiful? Why thank you, Kyo, that’s very nice of you. You‘re very handsome yourself.”

“Uh, thank you, Sei.” He winced inwardly -- he’d forgot how compact the trailer’s living space was, and apparently, it had fantastic acoustics. 

“Flattering the boss is not the way to go if you want to lose a job. I’m just sayin’.” Sei’s head disappeared and reappeared. “Oh, and Kyo? I’ve been trained by the best bounty hunters in the world, so you can’t get away from me just by running out the back door. But you’re welcome to try.” She vanished again.

“You’d probably just send Jo to get me.”

“Nope, wouldn’t need her,” Sei’s voice came back. “In fact, let’s try this: One day I’ll call you from outside the school, and as soon as you hang up, you make a run for it. I’ll give you a twenty minute head start. If you can evade me for….three hours, say, I’ll let you out of this job that day and pay you everything I owe you plus extra.”

“And if you catch me?”

“You’ll be my love slave forever.”

“Uh…no, Sei, this job is fine, thanks.”

Sei came back with a bottle and two glasses. She’d let her hair down, and leaned on the doorframe, facing him in profile, her head tilted to one side. “Are you sure you wouldn’t want me to be your sugar momma, Kyo?” she cooed. “You have no idea the things I’d introduce you to. You’d learn so many things good little boys never even imagine, and I‘d pamper you to within an inch of your life.”

“Uhh….”

Sei laughed. “I’m sorry, Kyo. I shouldn’t tease you like that. I just get antsy when I’m waiting for Jo and Meg to check in, and I don’t have Amy here to distract me with non-stop techno-babble. So I’m taking it out on you. And I’m afraid I can be a real tease when I let myself. Please forgive me.”

“Uh, it’s ok, Sei.”

“Tell you what: Friendly drink, you and me, no terms or preconditions. Ok?”

“No wine and cheese parties?”

“Not unless you wanted to go.”

“Well…I actually like wine and cheese parties.”

“Oh, really? Oh…um, if something came up down the road, would you at least consider going with me? It’s not a condition of your employment, but I took Leo to one once … ONCE… need I say more?”

“Yeah, I can see the problem. Uh, well…would there be extra money in it for me?”

“You little whore! Maybe I was too quick to call you a good boy. Nope, no extra money. But you’d have me on your arm for an evening. That fact by itself would be worth it. Trust me.”

“Well, I….”

“It’s something we can talk about some other time if you want. I just…I’d like to go to one of those things with someone who (A) knows how to behave himself, and (B) whose company I enjoy, and at the moment, that is a very short list. No pressure, just…” She let it hang.

“Well, I guess I can think about it.”

“That’s all I ask.” She handed him his glass, sat on the edge of the bed, and started to work on the cork. “What else do you like? What’s your favorite kind of music?”

“Jazz. It’s the best kind of music on the planet.”

“A man after my own heart. Do you go to any of the clubs in Tokyo, Kyo?”

“What, Japanese jazz? Are you kidding, Sei? That’s like an American samurai movie. Yuck! No, the only place for real jazz is where it came from, America. The first thing I want to do after I establish myself as a pastry chef is go to a real jazz club in New Orleans. I daydream about finding some little hole in the wall the French Quarter: Brick walls, low light, smoke, a jazz quartet playing all night…”

“I know a place exactly like that, in the French Quarter, except for the smoke. Tobacco is a controlled substance in the States.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right.”

“Uh-huh. But the place has everything else. And guess who has unlimited access to Bailan’s corporate suborbital jet?”

“Hmm, that would be Tokyo to New Orleans in 45 minutes?”

“Thirty…air time. Taxiing and customs are the longest parts of the trip.”

“So you can go to New Orleans, listen to some sets, and be back here by dinner, and no one would be any the wiser.”

She nodded. “And next time I go, I might want to have my personal chef with me in case I wanted any of his heavenly snacks along the way. And he would have to accompany me to the club; I wouldn‘t want to go anywhere without someone from my staff, and if it was just him, he would be it.”

“I don’t have a passport.”

“Seriously? But you want to go abroad!”

“I was going to take care of it this summer.”

“No, I’m going to take care of it tomorrow. You’ll have it by the end of the week.”

“Thanks, Sei.”

“You’re welcome…Seriously, Kyo, is sneaking off to listen to a few sets with me something you would be interested in doing? See, I realize I have made you put up with more crap than any chef in the history of…cheffing -- if that’s a word -- more crap than any other chef has had to deal with, and I think I owe you something for your trouble, a little token of my appreciation and respect. And I consider you a friend. That’s where all this is coming from. I‘m brainstorming.”

“Even the love slave stuff?”

“Ah, just ragging on you…though if you don’t like the idea, don’t keep brining it up. I‘m not responsible if you tempt me too much.”

Kyohei winced. “Ok. Still….New Orleans? Run there, run back, act like nothin’ happened?”

Sei nodded.

Kyohei smiled slightly. “Yeah, sure, yeah, I could do that. It might be fun. Yeah, Sei, I’d like to do that -- if it’s no trouble.”

“No, trouble at all, Kyohei. It would be my pleasure. You couldn’t -- damn, is this cork welded in? -- you couldn’t tell the others about it, though. I’d insist on that.”

“Actually, Sei, that sounds like the best part of the idea, having one over on them.”

“I know. You’re being a bad influence on me. All right then, I’ll see what I can do. I can’t promise a chance will come up -- things have been ludicrous lately, haven’t they? -- but if it does, I’ll take you. And if it doesn’t, at least you’ll have a passport, which you would have needed anyway. Deal?” 

“Deal.”

“Good.” She finally got the cork off. Sei poured his glass. “Only a little for you -- I want you able to drive home. I do not like paying DUI fines. You do not want to know how much I don’t like that, trust me.” She started to pour for herself.

“I was just thinking, Sei -- with some kind of crisis going on, should you even be drinking?”

“There’s always a crisis going on around here, in case you haven’t noticed, so I might as well snatch little pleasures when I can. Don’t worry about me, Kyo. I can drink sumo wrestlers under the table. I was totally hammered the second time -- was it the second or third? -- no, the second time we took this rig out. I‘ll be ok. But thanks for asking.” She finished pouring for herself and put the bottle and her phone on the floor. “Cheers.”

“A votre sante.” They clinked glasses and sipped their wine.

“You just reminded me,” Sei said, “have you learned to speak French?”

Kyo smiled. “I already speak French quite well,” he said in French. “Thank you for asking, Mademoiselle Sei.”

“That‘s very good,” Sei responded in kind. “You continue to impress me, mon ami. How did you learn? You can‘t tell me it was in public school.”

Kyo shook his head. “My maternal grand mother.” Back to Japanese: “She’s half French. Everyone on my mother’s side speaks French half the time. It’s part of the reason I want to go to France; being a pastry chef is almost an excuse. I just fell in love with the place the more I learned about it, the history, the food, the culture. Know what I mean?”

“Yeah.” 

They took a couple more sips.

“Kyo, can I ask you a personal question?” 

“Sure, Sei.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

He almost panicked.

“What I mean is,” Sei said, “will you be leaving anyone behind when you go to France? I can’t help but think that you’ve won the heart of an aspiring domestic diva, and she’ll cry a river when you go.”

“No, I…I don’t have the time for a girlfriend. And my last date didn’t go very well.”

“It wasn’t because of us, was it?”

“No, it was before you hired me. We went to this restaurant and as I read the menu, I wondered aloud about how they had made everything. Then the chef came out. Turns out he graduated from my school a year before I started. We talked shop for half an hour.”

“Oh, no.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“How did your date take it?”

“When I turned back to her, she was gone.”

Sei laughed. “I’m sorry,” she managed. “I’m sure it wasn’t funny at the time…”

Kyo laughed with her. “No, it’s all right.”

“Did you call her up? Try to explain?”

“I couldn’t. I’d completely forgot her name!”

They howled.

“What about you?” Kyo asked.

Sei shook her head. “There’s no one. I don’t think I can have room in my life for a long term relationship, never mind a husband and children, not with what I do being so mind-numbingly dangerous. I couldn’t… No sense planning for the future when you may not be alive tomorrow. My parents could live with the risks, but I haven’t learned how to, not yet, anyway. I have gone out. There was one guy, a month or two before I hired you, who I really liked, but I had to stand him up a few times too many. Last time I tried to call him, he was blocking the number I was calling from.” She shrugged. 

“Couldn’t you have explained to him?”

“No, I--” Sei broke off, then turned and moved a little closer. “Kyohei, what I’m about to tell you stays between us. You can not under any circumstances breathe a word to anybody. I zealously guard my privacy and I do not want any one of the others to know this. But I think I can trust you. Ok?”

“Ok, Sei. Your secret is safe with me.”

“All right,” Sei said. “I have several safe houses in Tokyo, each one tied to a different false identity. And every one of them is a complete make over, from head to toe. I could adopt one of my aliases and sit this close to you and you would never know it was me.”

“Wow.”

“The only way I can have any alone time without leaving Japan is to be somebody else, literally, even if it’s to see a movie or have a drink. That’s why I had to stand up my date. He thought I was somebody else. And I will go to any lengths to keep some things in my life separate from…this, no matter the cost.”

“What if you had got serious with him? Would you have told him, ever?”

She looked down. “Don’t ask me that, Kyo. Please don’t ask me that.” 

“Ok. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right. You‘re a sweetheart.” She squeezed his shoulder and smiled. “Anyway, that’s also part of why you’re here. One of my safe houses …. It’s no use telling you where it is -- you’d never find it unless I took you there -- but you have to drive past your culinary school to get to it. That’s how I know about it. When Amy started scouring cooking schools for a new chef, I ‘casually’ dropped the name of it. Told her I’d heard nice things about it. Actually, I knew nothing about it, but I hoped we’d find someone who was a good cook and a trustworthy person; the girls need someone who won’t just see them as guns with legs, but who could care for them, or at least not take advantage of them. And we got you, made to order almost. And the girls like you.”

“No, they don’t.”

“Yes, they do. They’re just…socially challenged. You just don’t know what they did to the last chefs; two of them are still in therapy. But if there’s any doubt in your mind, you can take this to the bank: if anything happened to you, whoever did it would have a mountain of sugar-and-estrogen powered whoop-ass coming down on his neck, and he’d be lucky if I didn’t get to him first. Depend on it.”

“Gee…Thanks, Sei.”

“You’re really adorable when you blush like that, you know that?” She looked between him and her glass a few times before turning serious. “Kyo, can you promise me something?”

“Anything, Sei.” He was surprised that he said it, and that he meant it.

“When the time comes to leave us, don’t look back. Follow your dream; get on with your life. Meet a nice girl and go someplace where you can be happy and raise a family.”

“‘When it’s time to leave’?” Kyo cried. “What are you saying? Are you firing me? Do you want me to go?”

She looked at her glass and her voice shook when she turned back to him. “Go, Kyohei? If I had my way, you’d never leave my side. But that would be wrong. This life isn’t safe for you. I’m not safe for you. I’m the last person on this Earth you should have anything to do with. You never should have taken this job. I’ll get you killed if it serves my purposes and not shed a single tear even when I’m dying inside. I really am a horrible person…”

“No, Sei, don’t say that about yourself…” He put his hand on her cheek; he thought she was going to cry. “If you were all bad, you would never have been nice to me.”

Sei looked into his eyes strangely for a second. “Kyo…” And then she was on him, kissing him hard as she pushed him back down onto the bed. Kyo tensed -- amazingly, he didn’t spill his wine. He thrashed a little in surprise, then started to relax. He found he was starting to like it. He wanted to give in to Sei, especially if she needed him. For a moment, he wanted to do anything she asked of him … anything… 

But only moments after Sei had thrown herself on Kyo, her phone rang. She ignored the first two rings, but on the third one she pushed herself off Kyo, cursed, picked up the phone, read the caller ID, cursed again, and answered it: “WHAT NOW!? This had better be good ….You caught me at a bad time…That’s none of your concern. Talk…What? …. Well, where is… Meg, wait a … But … How--? …. When… slow down…yeah…But…Where … Back up, who‘s the …. .Meg, take a breath for g-- what?… say that again?…uh-huh…hang on a minute…” She ran out of the room.

Kyo lay on his back and took a deep breath. He found himself hoping Jo would just blow up whatever it was, then Sei could come back to bed and…and….

‘What are you thinking?’ he asked himself as his head seemed to clear. ’She’s your boss, and you hate this job! That was a sexual assault, you idiot! You should leave now while you can. Quit and don’t come back.’ But the thought of saying, “Sei, I quit,” -- somehow, it was unbearable. The urge to run quieted inside him almost the moment he had it. 

Sei reappeared in her door. “Kyohei, I’m sending you home now.” She was all business, as if they hadn’t almost… almost … 

Kyo got up. “What’s wrong?”

“Things are going to get a little dicey, and I want you out of harm’s way.”

“‘Get’ dicey?”

Sei allowed herself a slight smile. “Diceyer, then.”

She walked him to the trailer‘s door and said, “Just one thing, Kyo. I’m terribly sorry about forcing myself on you just now; I don’t know what came over me. As I said, I consider you my friend, and I wouldn’t want to do anything to tarnish that friendship. I would completely understand if you decided you no longer wanted to…” She trailed off.

“No, it’s ok, Sei, you were hurting and you made a stupid mistake. And…” He blushed. “…I kind of liked it.”

“I could kind of tell. But will you be all right? Do you want some time off? With pay. Ask and you shall receive.”

“No, Sei, I…I’ll be all right. And while I’m not sure about his job sometimes, you’re helping me save money for Paris, so making sure you guys are fed well enough to get through…whatever is the least I can do.” 

“That’s very sweet of you. And you’re very brave, Kyohei, for putting up with us for as long as you have. A lesser man would have run out of here screaming months ago, but you‘re toughing it out. I will always admire you for that.”

“It’s nothing, Sei.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. Being in the middle of all this when you’re totally unsuited for it? You’re the bravest man I’ve ever known, and don’t let anyone tell you different.”

“Ok. What time do you want me back tomorrow?”

“That’s a tricky question. You have classes tomorrow?”

“No.”

“All right. You get as much sleep as you need. If this part of town isn’t a blast crater, I won’t expect you until dinner, though I‘ll pay you for the whole day.”

“And if this place has been blown to smithereens?”

“Don’t look back. One more thing: are you busy a week from Saturday?”

“No. Why?”

“Tokyo Fortune Island will be opening, and I think we could all use a break.”

“That’s invitation only.”

“And I can get us some invitations.”

“Meaning you already have.”

“Yes, Kyo, and yours should be in the mail today. But you don’t have to accept it.”

“Do you always get what you want, Sei?”

“I got you, didn’t I?”

“Uh…”

“You don’t have to come,” she said, “but could you come anyway, please? It would mean a lot to me.”

“I wouldn‘t miss it for the world…Am I going to regret saying that?”

“Probably.”

“Talk about an occupational hazard. But yes, Sei, I’ll come.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

She pushed the door open and they stood there, facing each other. Kyo wasn’t sure what to do or what to say; he didn’t even want to move from that spot. He knew he had to go, but he didn’t want to leave.

A loud ‘THOOM’ echoed in the distance.

“I think I should go now,” Kyo said.

“Yes, you should,” Sei replied. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Want anything in particular?”

“I will have whatever my esteemed personal chef recommends. Surprise me.”

Kyo headed down the steps. “I’ll try not to disappoint you.”

“I know you won’t, Kyo. I know you won’t. You never do. Now get out of here.”

****

“…After that, things went back to normal, if you could call it that,” Kyohei explained to Yuki five years later. 

“Were you and Sei ever together again?” Yuki asked.

Kyo shook his head. “And Sei acted like it had never happened. I guess I hoped we would, but it never happened.”

“Bitch. She took advantage of you, plain and simple. Don’t argue with me. I’m a woman; I know what women like her think. You shouldn’t have let her get away with it. You should have reported her. Sexual harassment, sexual assault, maybe even statutory rape at the very least, and let’s not forget serving alcohol to someone below the legal age limit. They should have thrown her in jail and thrown the key in the Pacific. But you didn‘t say anything to anybody, did you?”

Kyo shook his head. “You’re the first person I’ve ever told.”

Yuki snorted. “Yep, she had your number. Did she do any of the things she said she’d do? The passport, the trip to New Orleans?”

Kyo nodded. “The passport, yes. But we never snuck off to New Orleans.”

“Good for you; she just would have molested you again. You were better off, trust me. Besides, they probably still treated you like dirt, didn‘t they?”

“They still gave me a hard time, yes, and I was still stressed out. But I thought I understood them a little better, that they were really human beings under there. I…I felt like in some way, they needed me, not just for cooking, but they needed a friend, so I tried to look at it that way, even if they didn‘t always know how to show it. And I thought I knew that there were reasons why Sei was the way she was, and that she needed me, too. And I guess I did look forward to seeing them every day, even if I still thought I hated the job. But then one day….it was over.” He snapped his fingers. “Just like that.”

“What happened?” Yuki asked.

“I came to where the trailer had been parked and it was gone. I checked my phone for messages and there was one from Sei. She said my services were no longer required but thanked me for everything I had done and said she had paid me all she owed plus a ‘little extra.’ ‘Little.’ It was enough to pay off my tuition in Japan and make a down payment on tuition for Paris and pay to get over there and pay the first two month’s rent on an apartment.”

“Did you try to call her back?”

“Yes. The number was disconnected.”

“So first she almost rapes you, then kicks you out without advance notice. She screwed you *twice.* You really are too kind to her.”

“No, I think she had her reasons.”

“I’m sure. But anyway, what did you do?”

“I went back to my studies. It was hard; I was so depressed. But she’d told me to commit myself, and I did. 

“Then, the morning RAPT blew up, I got a text message from Sei. It was a picture of me from that morning, when I had gone to my local market. Sei had been right there, right next to me, and I never knew it. And there was a message: ‘Don’t look back. Love and kisses, Sei.’ ‘Love and kisses’!? I ….she….” He trailed off.

“Did you call the number?”

Kyo nodded. “Disconnected. What a shocker,” he deadpanned.

“Did you go to Paris?” Yuki asked.

“Yes. I made a go of it, did very well. Made it through two years with honors. But I also thought about Sei and the others. I knew they could find me anytime they wanted, and I thought they would. I knew they would. I would get a call, and it would be Sei, ‘Hi, Kyohei, we just happened to be in the neighborhood. Could you come and cook for us tomorrow?’ And I would drop everything and do it.” He tapped his forehead. “I still have the menus in my head -- breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner. With about 23 liters of hot sauce, of course.”

“Of course.” 

“They’d probably have the trailer in a warehouse district or someplace, and they’d be right there waiting for me. It would be like old times.”

Yuki smiled. “In spite of how they treated you, I can see them doing that. And it sounds like that would have been nice.”

“Yeah, it would have been.”

“But it never happened.”

“No…” Kyo choked on the word.

Yuki could see he was getting upset. “What happened to them?” she asked gently.

“Uh…” Kyo said. He took a couple of deep breaths, but found the strength to go on: “I was talking to this new student, a guy from America, and when I told him I was from Tokyo, he said ‘So you know about the glowing brain?’ And I said, ‘What glowing brain?’ And he said, ‘The one inside RAPT--’”

“I’ve heard that story,” Yuki said, “some conspiracy theory that some glowing brains were taking over Tokyo--”

“It was true, all of it. I knew it was true the instant I saw the viral video. I’ll show you.”

They huddled around his phone. Although it tore his heart out, he played the clip: Shot from an overhead camera, a room with a huge brain inside a plastic bubble on top of a machine. A door opened and a man walked in with Sei behind him; she had him at gunpoint. He knew it was Sei from her clothes. The man turned to Sei and…something blurry happened around his head. Then the muzzle of Sei’s gun flashed as Sei fell to her hands and knees, the man in front of her fell, and Django’s head crashed through the wall. Jo appeared on the Mech’s shoulder. Sei pointed at the brain in the bubble. Then the screen blanked.

Kyo wound it back a few frames and paused it. “The woman in the long coat,” he said, “that was Sei. And the silver-haired one on the mech, that was Jo.” He couldn’t stop the tears. “They died in that explosion.”

“No, Kyo--maybe it wasn’t them, maybe it was somebody else--”

Kyo shook his head. “Nnoo-oo-ooo,” he managed. “It was them. I should have realized. All hell was breaking lose, so of course, they would be in the middle of it. That text message. ’Don’t look back. Love and kisses.’ Sei knew what was coming. She knew she was going to die, and she wanted to say goodbye, she wanted to tell me… wanted me to know…” He couldn’t go on. He felt Yuki’s arms wrap around him as he sobbed uncontrollably into her shoulder.

“It’s ok, it’s ok,” she said. “Are you sure they didn’t make it out? Maybe they escaped somehow.”

Kyo pulled away. “The blast knocked out the windows in my apartment. Thousands of people were injured. They were pulling bodies out of the building for weeks. They said anything in the epicenter of the blast was completely vaporized. They called it Japan‘s 9-11.” He wiped more tears away. “Until that moment, I didn’t know how much they’d meant to me. I must have had blinders on. That video had been viral for a year but I didn’t know about it. I was too wrapped up in myself to notice, too willfully blind to see what was happening around me, and then they were gone, the wo…my friends were gone…” His anger flared. “And what was I doing? Concocting recipes. My friends were dying in the streets and all I could think of was designing a cake!”

“You couldn’t have done anything to help them,” she soothed. “You said it yourself, they were trained killers. You would have just got in the way, maybe got yourself killed.”

“Maybe, but I would have died with them.”

“You’re talking nonsense,” Yuki said. “Let’s say Sei really cared. Hell, let’s say Sei really loved you. She wouldn’t have wanted you to die. She would have wanted you to be safe. If she really cared for you, she would have wanted you to get on with your life. To follow your dream and be the best damned pastry chef you could be.”

“I know, I know,” Kyo said, “that’s what I told myself. And I tried so hard, because I knew sure as I know my name that’s what Sei would have wanted. But my heart wasn’t in it anymore. Everything seemed so pointless without knowing she was out there, somewhere. I just went through the motions. My grades plummeted. My personal life wasn’t any better. I met this Japanese girl at a bar, took her out a few times, took her up the Eifel Tower. But the first time we had sex, I called Sei’s name. I didn’t know I’d done it, but she said, ‘Who the hell is Sei?’ Not surprisingly, that was the last time I saw her.”

“But please tell me you stayed with the pastry training.”

Kyo shook his head. “I dropped out and worked in different restaurants around town -- knowing several cuisines had its advantages. Then I thought that if Meg and Amy were alive and I made it easier to find me, they would and I could help them somehow, and I knew Meg had connections in New York.”

“Is that why you came to Toronto?”

Kyo nodded. “It was easier to get into Canada, and from here, I could emigrate to New York. And I started taking martial arts, so I could hold my own. I got started in Aikido and I was going to add Thai Boxing and Brazillian jiujitsu when I realized, ‘What am I doing? They could find me anytime, and they haven’t. There’s only one reason if they’re not dead.’ So, I gave up that idea and decided to stay in Toronto. The job’s not bad. The Aikido is fun; I enjoy that. But…” He trailed off. “You must think I’m crazy.” 

“If you are, you’re the sweetest crazy person I’ve ever met,” Yuki said. “It’s obvious you cared for them, maybe more than you knew at the time. I think you were better than they deserved, but that’s just me. And if they did really care for you, then you’re doing what they want. Sei wouldn’t want you to follow her back into that life. If she loved you, she would want you to stay out of that crazy world of hers.”

“You think so?”

“From what you tell me, yes, I think so.”

Kyo sighed. “I guess. It’s just…I feel…. I don‘t know anymore.”

Yuki found a piece of scrap paper and scribbled on it with a pen. “Well, I’m a good listener, and I think that’s what you need right now. I’ll be in town for a couple more weeks. Here’s my phone number. Call me anytime you want to talk.” 

****

Kyo saw Yuki almost daily for the next two weeks, at Aikido and when she came to eat at the sushi bar. They had lunch together several times. She agreed to a couple of dates, but always backed out at the last minute -- some issue or other with her relatives. But they met at the CN Tower one Saturday and spent the afternoon there.

He asked, “Do you want me to drive you home?”

“Thanks, but I have to be at a friend‘s apartment. It’s just a couple of blocks away. But thanks anyway. I’ll see you at the Sushi bar on Monday. And I won‘t let anyone but you serve me.”

Kyohei blushed in spite of himself. “All right, but keep that up and people will talk.” 

“You mean they’re not talking already?”

“Good point. Want anything in particular?”

“I will have whatever the best chef in Toronto recommends. Surprise me.” 

As he walked back to his car, he couldn’t shake the feeling of deja vu… 

Always she listened to his stories about Sei and the others. It amazed him that she listened so patiently, taking him seriously, never once saying she didn’t believe him. He’d never told anybody about them and it was good to get it out.

One time he asked, “I sometimes wonder what it will take to forget about them.”

“You won’t,” Yuki said. “That’s how we deal with loss. You don’t get over it, you don’t forget about it, you just get used to it. Someday you’ll look back and remember the good times, such as they were, and count the experience as part of what helped you grow as a person, something to tell your children about.”

“Children. Me. And a house and a dog.”

“I think Sei would want that for you.” 

He’d agreed to see her off at the train station when she left Toronto, but at the last minute, Mr. Tanaka called him in to fill in for a guy on the night shift who had fallen ill. Stomach flu, they thought. He called Yuki to apologize.

“That’s ok,” she said. “I hate goodbye’s anyway.”

“When will you be back in Toronto?”

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe I’ll come to visit you in New York.” 

Dead silence.

“Hello?” Kyo prompted.

“I’m here,” Yuki said. “Yes, that will be nice, we’ll see. In the meantime, I want you to promise me something.”

“Name it.”

“Don’t give up on your dreams. You’re still young; you can still make a go of it as a pastry chef. You could be the best pastry chef ever if you tried. Will you do that for me?”

Kyo was taken aback. “That’s … that’s asking a lot, Yuki. It was hard enough before I went to Paris and now…” He trailed off.

“I don’t care what the challenges are. All that matters in life is that we try. Promise me you’ll try, Kyo.”

“All right, Yuki. I promise.”

****

Kyo’s life -- such as it was --- returned to normal. And although he’d enjoyed his time with Yuki, still, something still nagged at him. His mind had an itch that wouldn’t go away. It had to be his imagination, though. It was just a coincidence that Yuki looked so much like Sei….wasn’t it? But she couldn’t have been Sei. Sei was dead….

….wasn’t she?

It wasn’t until after Aikido a week after Yuki had left that Kyo began to seriously think about it: What if Sei had survived? He knew it wasn’t possible, but for the sake of argument, what if she had survived? And what if, five years later, she had wanted to catch up with Kyo? But what if she wanted to do it without drawing him back into her mind-numbingly dangerous world, so calling him to cook for her, or even just bumping into him on the street were out. But she wanted to see him again. How would she do it?

Well, Amy could follow his cybernetic footprints, he knew. Maybe Amy had done that for the Sei on the QT, behind … well, behind the backs of whomever else was still alive. It would be simple to track him down, wouldn‘t it? And then what? She’d once told him how she’d adopted false identities. 

_‘…I could adopt one of my aliases and sit this close to you and you would never know it was me…’_

So maybe she could tail him without him knowing it. Yes, he could see that: she would shadow him for days, even weeks, learning his habits, and he would be none the wiser. She could have been right in front of him -- he could have served her at the sushi bar --- but he would never know. So she would find out he was ok without him knowing.

Yes, that made sense, he could see Sei doing that ….

…. But what if she had things to tell him? What if she wanted to get her feelings off her chest, but without him knowing it was her?

Well, Kyo thought, maybe she would create one more false identity: A Japanese hair dresser visiting from New York, say. She would “accidentally” meet him and talk to him. And in a roundabout way, tell him everything she’d wanted to say, tell him the feelings she had for him and…

…and remind him to follow his dream?…

…and when it came time for her to leave, maybe to cover the fact that she was leaving on Bailan’s suborbital jet instead of by train -- assuming she was still in Canada in the first place -- she’d arrange for one of his coworkers, who was as healthy as a horse, to be sick, and Kyo would be called into work when she was supposed to be leaving …?

_'I hate goodbye’s anyway.’_

…and when he mentioned visiting her in New York, she might be caught flat footed and not answer for a second …. 

“Holy--” 

Kyo surprised himself by not speeding when he drove back to the house she had been staying at, a house that now had a “FOR SALE” sign in front of it. 

Kyo ran around the back and peaked in the kitchen window. The walls were bare, and the furniture and appliances from three weeks ago were gone.

“Hey!” a voice called from behind him.

Kyo turned to see a fifty-something overweight bald man standing on the other side of the neighbor’s fence 

Kyo shifted into English: “I’m sorry. Do you know what happened to the people who used to live here?”

“Don’t know. They were evicted a year ago, then the landlord went bankrupt. House has been empty ever since.”

“Are you sure? I though someone was here three weeks ago.”

“Maybe someone looked at it, I dunno. I was away for a month.”

“Where did you go?”

“A cruise. Didn’t you know about the sweepstakes?”

“Sweepstakes? No.”

“It was weird. Funny name, angels and banjos --”

“Django?”

“Yeah, that was it. Got on the ship and found out everyone on the street had won. Just got home a couple of days ago and found someone had paid off my mortgage. Same for everyone else who went. All looks legit as far as I know, if a little weird. Someone kindly philanthropist anonymously helping the little guy, they say.”

“I see. Thank you.”

The man nodded, not quite buying it. Kyo left as quickly as he could.

Only after he got back to his apartment did he try Yuki’s phone number. He wasn’t surprised it was out of service.

He stood at his window and looked at the CN tower in the distance, and the blinking running lights of mechs cruising over Lake Ontario. “Sloppy, Sei,” he muttered, even as he knew it wasn’t true. Sei hadn’t made one mistake; she’d known exactly what she’d been doing. Everything had been masterfully orchestrated to jog his memory without giving away the game at the time. She’d left his mind a trail of breadcrumbs to follow, knowing full well he wouldn’t reach the end until after she had gone. And in his heart, he knew why. In his heart, he knew what she had come so far, done so much to say to him. He could almost hear her voice:

_‘This is goodbye, Kyo. I will never see you again. I love you, but we can’t be together. Where I am going, you dare not follow me. My world is too dangerous for you -- I am too dangerous for you -- and I want you to be safe. Don’t look back. Don’t give up on your dreams; it’s not too late to be the best pastry chef you could be. Find love and happiness wherever you can. I will always cherish our time together, but now we must go our separate ways. Au revoir, mon cheri.’_

But was being a pastry chef still his dream? It had driven him right up until he’d met Sei, but the words had started to ring hollow even as he told her about it. And what kind of life was he supposed to have? Could he really be fat and happy and contented in the suburbs when the people he loved -- the people he’d never known he’d loved until he thought he’d lost them -- were fighting and bleeding on behalf of a world that neither knew nor cared they existed?

But he knew the answer to that question as soon as he thought it: Going after Sei would be a one-way trip down the rabbit hole. There would be no retreat from the world of mind-numbing danger he was ill suited for, no escape to the relative safety of the culinary profession. All for the love of a woman who had admitted more than once that she wasn’t above stabbing him in the back as she kissed him.

Safety and security vs. danger, possible treachery, and maybe a violent death. And no second chances whichever way he went. The choices couldn‘t have been starker …

_….he looks out the third floor lobby window of the culinary school and Sei is across the street, standing by her car, phone in one hand and waving with the other, her smile a beacon a blind man could see from a mile away…._

_…the door to the trailer slides open…_

… but in his heart, Kyohei knew only one choice would make him feel alive.

In his heart, he knew he had never had a choice at all.

He thumbed through the contacts on his phone to the restaurant, dialed it, and waited for someone to answer.

He spoke in English: “Ted? Is Mr. Tanaka there?…Yeah, I’ll wait…” Then Japanese: “Hello, Mr. Tanaka. It’s Kyohei…. I’m fine, sir. I’m sorry, but I won’t be coming in tomorrow. I quit.” He hung up. “Not au revoir. A bientot, ma cherie. I’m coming home, Sei.”

**_….SOMEWHERE ON THE PACIFIC COAST OF JAPAN, TWO MONTHS LATER…._ **

Kyo parked the rental car at the end of the private dock and walked down the gangway to the one vessel docked there, the strange black submarine called the *Elizabeth.* He walked along its deck, but he couldn’t see an obvious way in.

“Knock, knock?” he muttered.

“Hey, you!” a woman’s voice called behind him. The words were Japanese, but spoken with the Brooklyn accent he’d recognize anywhere. “Turn around nice and slow.”

He slowly turned to face the American woman with long red hair who was coming down the gangplank, one hand reaching for something under her fur-lined long coat. Meg was a little taller than he remembered, her face narrower and her gaze a little harder, but her blue eyes still held a hint of playfulness that no amount of loss or horror could totally extinguish.

Kyo decided to play stupid: “Do you own this boat? I’m here to apply for the position of personal chef. That is, if you‘re still hiring.”

“Nice try, buddy, but we haven’t run any help wanted ads. Keep your hands where I can see--” She broke off as she focused on his face. “Kyo?”

Kyo couldn’t not smile any longer. “Hello, Meg. It‘s good to see you.”

“KYOOOOHEEEIIIII!” Meg rushed to him and snatched him into a hug that felt like it would break his ribs: Her body had become two huge breasts attached to a frame of solid muscle. “Ohmygawd it IS you! How have you been? You look great! Did you get to Paris? I’ve always wanted to do Paris. You have to tell me absolutely everything. Are you a famous chef yet? Do you have your own cooking show? You remember what my favorites are, right? Hey, you guys, get out here, look who I found!”

Kyo looked over his shoulder to the two females coming up through a hatch in the deck. Amy was taller, blonde curls falling around her face, her body straining against the curves of puberty even as her eyes held her childishness. And behind her, Sei, her smile barely perceptible, feigning surprise so perfectly only he would ever know it was an act. Though her hair was in a bun, she still had “Yuki’s” highlights.

Kyo’s smile didn’t waiver. “It’s good to see you again.” And he knew his words had a double meaning only for Sei.

Amy wrinkled her nose. “You still smell like cake.”

“And you are still obnoxious.” He looked past Sei and something twisted in his stomach. “Where’s Jo?”

Meg said, “Jo is still M. I. A., but we have leads on her, right, Amy?”

“I said I was working on it.”

Kyo said, “Well, you have to work harder. I have twenty liters of hot sauce in the car. If we don’t find Jo, it will all go bad.”

Meg smiled. “Then it’s settled. We have to stop messing around, open up a can of whoop-ass, and find Jo.”

Sei stepped forward. “Meg, why don’t you and Amy get Kyo’s things? I’d like to have a word with our new chef.”

After Meg and Amy had rushed up the gangplank, Sei stepped closer to Kyo, pitching her words for him alone. “Before you get too smug about finding us, I want to tell you the Eifel Tower was the most fun I’d had in a long time. And I was touched when you called my name; I almost broke character.”

Kyo gawked for an instant, then smiled. “So, have you always had trouble following your own advice?”

“What advice?”

“‘Don’t look back.’”

“Yes, I suppose that is a failing of mine. I’ll have to do something about it someday. But I’m worried about you, Kyohei. Are you sure about this?”

“As sure as I’ve ever been of anything.”

“If you throw in with us, you will never have a normal life.”

“My life, Sei. My choice.”

“I didn’t want you to give up your dream for me.”

“You told me to follow my dream. Here I am. And besides, the culinary world just isn’t ready for the idea that French pastries are no good without a generous topping of hot sauce.”

“I can’t promise I won’t get you killed.”

“I won’t ask you to make promises you can’t keep. I’ll live with the risks.”

“You’re the bravest man I’ve ever known, Kyohei Tachibana. Don’t let anyone ever tell you different.” She glanced over her shoulder to be sure the others weren’t in earshot, and added: “And when you’re done feeding those beasts, we’re going to New Orleans. We’ll listen to some jazz, then I’ll take you to this cozy B&B I know where I’ll serve you a special dish I’ve been saving in case you returned. I have a feeling you’ll love it.”

“I know I will, Sei. I know I will.”

THE END


End file.
